The Night Lily and James Died: Sirius's Tale
by cherrycool
Summary: A fic about that fateful night that Lily and James died ... Told mostly from Sirius's viewpoint, this is my take on the worst night of his life ... Rated only for mild language, Sirius-centric, R&R!
1. Chapter 1

I'm a bit of a Sirius fanatic, and this one has been in my head for a while, so instead of studying for my end of year exams, here I am ... ;)

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, as I'm sure you know!

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It was a dark, freezing Halloween night. There were signs of Trick - or - Treaters everywhere; sweet wrappers and lollipop sticks scattered across the road, coke cans dropped on the footpaths. Somewhere in a cluster of trees, a lone bird twittered, and above, the shadow of a black bat cut across the sky. A cricket chirped. A cat streaked along the road.

And then, a faint sound issued into the late night silence. Slowly, it grew louder, before becoming a loud roar, echoing through the chilly night. In the distance, a large shadow loomed in the heavens.

Suddenly, a cloud shifted, and there, clearly illuminated against the white circle of the shinning moon, was a flying motorcycle. Sitting on the great bike, was a young man in his early twenties. He had black, floppy hair that fell elegantly into his grey eyes. The expression on his carelessly handsome pale face was less than happy. His brows were contracted, and he was muttering distractedly to himself.

His name was Sirius black.

"Go faster," growled Sirius to the bike.

Sirius was on his way to check on his friend Peter, who was currently in hiding from the most evil wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, more commonly known to the wizarding community as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' or 'You-Know-Who'.

Peter Pettigrew was in hiding from 'You-Know-Who' because Peter was the Secret Keeper for his and Sirius's friends, who were also in hiding from Voldemort; James and Lily Potter.

A Secret Keeper is the key person in the difficult and complex Fidelious Charm. This involves the concealment by magic of one or more persons, the Secret Keeper being the only one to know their whereabouts. This meant that no one could find James and his wife Lily unless Peter wished to tell them, and the whole point of the spell was that he didn't, thus Voldemort never finding James and Lily.

It was very important that Voldemort didn't find them, as their one year old child, Sirius's godson, Harry Potter, was in great danger from Lord Voldemort. Voldemort intended to kill Harry. It was originally planned that Sirius would be the Potters' Secret Keeper, but at the last minute, Sirius persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter, intending to trick Voldemort, who Sirius was sure was coming after him. Sirius too was planning on going into hiding.

Sirius had now left the quiet suburban houses and was currently flying over countryside, which was steadily becoming more wild and tangled.

"Come on, fly," Sirius muttered irritably at the bike.

They flew over an old farmyard, with some broken down out-buildings. After passing over a succession of overgrown fields, Sirius sighed in relief and murmured, "Finally,"

The bike began to descend, Sirius peering down to make sure he was going in the correct direction.

The motorcycle touched down in a small, overgrown field. Nestled in a corner, on a raised mound, was a run down, mouldy old cottage with cracked and aged windows. Bits of broken glass and slate were scattered around the outside. A tangled mess of bushes stretched along the broken fence on the left side of the cottage, and another tangled mess along the fence behind. Across the field to the right, a dark, menacing forest loomed through a fine mist, and at the end of the field, opposite the broken down shack was a never ending stretch of wild countryside.

Sirius jumped off the bike and made his way towards the cottage, the slate and glass crunching under his feet.

"Peter," he called softly, glancing around as he went, and coming to a halt outside the shabby door.

There was no sound from within the cottages cracked walls.  
Sirius frowned.

"Wormtail? Come on Wormtail, I'm in a hurry mate."

There was still no answer.

The wooded door creaked as a puzzled Sirius pushed it open, peering around into the gloom.

There wasn't much in the room; an uneven wooden table against a peeling wall on the far side, a small stool next to it, and a dusty bed with a jumble of blankets on it in the left corner.

Sirius stepped slowly into the room, feeling uneasy.

"No jokes Wormtail, where are you?" he said.

There was still no sound, except for the gentle echo of Sirius's last statement.

Sirius shook his head and began to wander round the table, looking for a note or sign or something.

Nothing.

He slid past the table and stuck his head around the door-less doorway connecting the main room to a tiny bathroom. He saw a cracked toilet, a filthy wash hand basin, and a small, tin bath, but no Peter.

_This makes no sense_, thought Sirius to himself, shaking his head. _It's only a two roomed cottage, and he's not in either of them._

With a last uneasy glance around, Sirius turned and went back outside, closing the creaking door with a snap behind him.

Out in the moonlight, Sirius squinted around the field, the sharp thorns in the bushes surrounding the cottage seeming particularly menacing. He could see no one. Holding his breath and staying absolutely still, he listened for a sound.

Except for a single bird, he heard nothing.

Frowning, Sirius climbed back on the motorbike, pulling his jacket closer around him. His stomach felt queasy. There was no sign of a struggle, nothing to suggest that Peter had fled. To Sirius, it looked as though Peter had simply walked out.

"But why?" Sirius murmured. "Why would he leave? It makes no sense. He knew I was coming. He knew."

Sirius frowned. He would rather have jumped off his bike while flying than admit it, but he felt somewhat scared. This situation didn't feel right.

He revved up the bike, and with a loud roar, took off into the black, night sky.

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Well there you go! Hopefully should have the next chapter up by tomorrow, if I get a review or two ... ;)


	2. Chapter 2

No reviews ... but here's the enxt chapter anyway, because I'm bored ... ;)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, as I'm sure you know!

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Godric's Hollow was a quaint, sleepy little village, little known by larger towns nearby, and one of few villages that had a large wizarding population. The few Muggles that lived there were elderly, and had long since accepted the curious dress of their neighbours, and the odd things that would happen every now and again.

In a three bedroomed cottage with a rickety wooden fence running the perimeter and masses of brightly coloured flowers that, despite it almost being November, were still in bloom, a small family were about to have dinner.

A tall, thin man with a shock of jet black messy hair and glasses over his hazel eyes handed a baby bottle to a dark-red haired woman with green, almond shaped eyes and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Smiling up at him, she took the bottle and gently nudged the tip of it into the mouth of the baby boy she was cradling.

James Potter said something to his wife; Lily Potter laughed, and then James turned and strolled into the kitchen.

"Drink up, Harry," Lily whispered softly to the little Harry Potter enveloped in her arms. "Come on, there's a good boy,"

The door creaked and, humming cheerfully to himself, James re-appeared with a plate of some sort of stew in each hand. He set one down on the small coffee table next to the sofa Lily was sitting on, and lowering himself gently into an armchair, he pulled a tray onto his lap and placed the other plate of stew carefully on it.

"Thanks," Lily said tiredly, scooping up a forkful and eating it. She was about to take a second when Harry made a soft choking noise. Hurriedly, Lily replaced the fork on the plate and disengaged the bottle from Harry's mouth. She adjusted Harry's blanket, smiling absentmindedly down at him.  
James raised an eyebrow. "You should eat, Lily," he said gently. "Stop worrying."

The red head rolled her eyes, her face sombre. "I think our situation is worry worthy," she said quietly.

"Yes, but worrying never made things better"

Lily remained silent and still for a moment, before heaving herself up and padding over to a playpen in the far corner of the room. She leant over and carefully placed Harry inside. He immediately became engaged in a deadly game of the Teddy versus the Toy Broomstick for control of the Singing Book.

Sighing and flopping back down on her seat, Lily grabbed the plate and began to eat again, blowing away steam rising off the hot food.

"I wonder what Sirius and Peter are up to," James mused out loud.

Lily's eyes flicked over to him. "Isn't Peter in hiding?" she asked. "And Sirius about to be?"

"Yeah, but before he goes, he agreed to check up on Peter, just to make sure he's still safe. You know Peter."

Lily smiled and nodded.

A loud burst of song from the far corner of the room told them that someone had won control of the book. Glancing over, Lily presumed that it was the Teddy, as the Toy Broom was flying dejectedly above the playpen.

"That thing's a menace," she commented, eyeing the broomstick beadily.

James snorted. "Didn't you tell Sirius you loved it?"

"Yeah, but I'm not so sure now …"

Suddenly, a wave of tiredness washed over Lily, and she yawned.  
"I think I'll head off to bed," she said. "Will you put Harry in his cot?"

James nodded. "I'll follow you up in a bit."

Lily left. James sighed and scooped up the last of his food, chomping noisily and wondering where his friends were and what they were up to. It had only been a week, but he was dreadfully bored.

Harry gurgled, asking for attention. James swept him up and began to swing the small boy around the room, Harry's face showing his delight. "And around and around and UP! And around and around and UP!" James laughed. He sat Harry on his knee and grabbed his wand, muttering an incantation. Small puffs of colourful smoke began to erupt from the end of his wand, and Harry began to laugh in excitement, clapping his hands and trying to catch the smoke, his face breaking into wonder as it evaporated in his hands. James ruffled his son's hair fondly. "You'll make me proud," he whispered, grinning.

Lily poked her head around the door, an eyebrow raised.

"I thought you went to bed?" asked James, bouncing Harry up and down on one knee.

"And I thought you were putting Harry to bed," she commented dryly, watching the whisps of coloured smoke thinning.

James sighed, scooping up his son and handing him to Lily, who kissed him on the cheek and gave him a last amused glance before leaving. James heard her footsteps on the stairs and her soft voice as she sang to Harry. He tossed his wand on the sofa and stretched luxuriously, yawning as he did so, wondering how long he would have to remain in hiding …

Suddenly, a deafening blast exploded in his ears, and James gasped, sprinting into the hallway just in time to see his front door burst in … and a tall, looming, terrible figure materialise on his doorstep. His heart shattered into a million pieces as he realised he had not even got his wand.  
"Lily, take Harry and go!" he screamed up the stairs, the sounds of his son crying filling his ears. "It's him!" He dodged a piece of flying debris. "Go! Run! I'll hold him off-"

How he would hold him off, he did not know; there would be no chance to retrieve his wand, and even if he did, he knew he had already defied the Dark Lord three times on previous occasions; it would not happen again. He did not even have time to think about the sheer ludicrousness that merely seconds previous he had been imagining what he would do upon his release from hiding … No, there would be no happy ending for twenty one year old James Potter, but as the blinding flash of illuminating green light filled his eyes and a howling blast of wind rushed through his ears, James's last thoughts were of his wife and child, and how proud he was to give his life to save theirs. He was dead before he hit the floor.

Eerie green light filtered in through the crack around the closed and locked bedroom door; Lily knew her husband didn't have time to scream, but she could hear it anyway. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she clutched her wailing child, berating herself for not having her wand; she could not even send a Patronus for help, and now, because of her stupidity, she thought furiously, her son would die!

The door rattled. There was nowhere to go, nowhere, no help, nothing to do … the neighbours didn't even know they were here! Lily held her son tightly, her red hair covering him, praying for this nightmare to end, for someone to realise what was happening, that her husband was dead, that her son was about to follow …

The door burst open, and a dark shadow fell over Lily. Time seemed to slow to almost a standstill as a bone deep, skin freezing fear filled every particle of her. She dropped Harry in his cot and threw her arms wide in front of him, knowing that her love alone could not save him now.  
Barely breathing, face set as though he was about to receive the best prize, the prize of his dreams, the towering figure of Lord Voldemort glided towards her, pulling out his wand as he went and pointed it directly at Harry, who was clutching his mother's skirt through the wooden bars of his cot.

"NO!" she screamed, fear and desperation threatening to consume her. "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"  
"Stand aside, you silly girl … stand aside, now …"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead –"

"This is my last warning –"  
"Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy … Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything –"

"Stand aside – stand aside, girl –"

The last thing to cross Lily's emerald eyes was a blinding flash of green light, and the last thing she heard was a shrill, laughing voice, and a powerful rush of wind, as though life itself was simply speeding from her body …

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Well there you go ... you know what to do folks, whether its good or bad, R&R! Go on, you know you want to!


	3. Chapter 3

_Yay, reviews, thanks guys! :D_

_This chapter is that awful bit when Sirius discovers James and Lily are dead. That bit in PoA when Harry and co overhear the teachers talking in the Three Broomsticks was quite helpful, and because Hagrid says that Sirius told him to take his bike, that he 'won't ned it anymore', I believe Sirius knew exactly what was going to happen to him._

**Disclaimer:**_ I own no characters, no matter how much I wish I did._

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Sirius had a very nasty feeling in his stomach as he flew above the dark, quiet streets. Why wasn't Peter where he was supposed to be? Where had he gone?

Had he been taken?

As he thought these words, Sirius's heart filled with dread. He squashed it down. Peter couldn't have been captured, there was no sign of a struggle at all. It was as though Peter had simply walked out …

The freezing air stung Sirius's face as his giant, flying motorbike roared on through the sky. He was on his way to James and Lily's, just to show himself that he had nothing to worry about.

The moon was out, it was full. Remus would not be around tonight. So that ruled out one option as to where Peter could be.

Sirius willed the bike to go faster, and he leaned forwards towards the handlebars, squinting his eyes against the cold. He was almost at James and Lily's now. As their little village loomed into sight, Sirius slowed down the bike a little.

How odd. There was a small spiral of smoke in the distance. Sirius frowned. The smoke was almost green …

Gasping, Sirius almost fell out of the sky in horror, a feeling of complete dread rising in his throat like bile. No, it couldn't be … it can't be … _the Dark Mark …_

Below him, coming ever closer, was a pile of broken bricks and debris, smoking slightly, and emitting a smell like burning rubber. He didn't even need to check the lanes for their names, or look which way to turn. He simply made for the tell tale death smoke. He knew it was James and Lily's.

Emitting a strangled cry, Sirius landed messily in front of the little cottage with a loud thud, almost tripping up as he scrambled from the bike, shaking with fear.

"James!" he screamed, racing past a tangle of broken bricks and splinters of wood and towards the door, into the hallway. "Lily! JAMES!"

The living room was a mess; rubble and debris coated the floor. Gasping, Sirius looked up and saw a hole in the ceiling, which in turn led to a hole in the roof; he could see the stars. James's wand lay on the couch. Sirius stared at it, eyes widening. James would never go anywhere without a wand. Particularly in times like these. It left him vulnerable …

Poking his head around the kitchen door, where he could still smell dinner, Sirius backtracked and ran up the stairs. Or at least, as far as he could. Fragments and debris covered the last few steps, stretching into the landing. Unaware that he was crying, Sirius scrambled torturously over the pile of broken bricks, hurling them behind him, aiming for what he knew to be Harry's room. He could see the dark sky above, stars sprinkling into the hallway; the roof had been blown off …

"James!" he shouted again. "Lily! Prongs, come on, bloody answer me!"

"Sirius?"

A voice was floating up the stairs. Sirius froze, breathing heavily.

"Sirius?" the voice repeated. Sirius relaxed slightly; it was Hagrid.

"Sirius mate, the floor's not stable up there, I couldn't get –"

"Not now, Hagrid!"

"Sirius don't, I don't think yeh'll want ter see –"

But Sirius carried on, catching his arm badly on a piece of protruding brick, twisting his ankle, wading through debris until he at last reached Harry's room …

The ceiling was completely gone. The front wall had crumbled also, and part of the side of the house. There were cracks and gaps in the floorboards, and Sirius could just make out Hagrid on the lawn below, motioning for him to come down.

"It's not safe, Sirius! Get down, come on now!"

"Where's James!" Sirius yelled, clutching the splintered doorframe to steady himself. "Where are they, Hagrid, did they get away? What happened!"

"Come down!" Hagrid called back, moving forwards. "Come down!"

"WHERE'S JAMES!"

"Shh, would yeh, alright, he's down … they're here, right over there, but its not –"

Sirius dove forwards, his heart pounding wildly. Blood was oozing from several gashes and his left arm was throbbing painfully but nothing mattered; James and Lily were in the garden! Scrambling over the last of the broken bricks, he dodged a piece of the floor that caved in under his feet and reached the edge of the room, where the front wall used to be, gazing down into the garden.

"Where?" he shouted, eyes sweeping the pots and bunches of colourful flowers that Lily had tended to so well.

Hagrid gestured, looking crestfallen, indicating to a large, lumpy blanket over by a shadowing willow tree. A fluffy green slipper was sticking out of the bottom.

Sirius paled. His breath came short and suddenly he realised that his face was wet. He reached up to wipe it dry and discovered that he was shaking. "I … its not … but they …"

Hagrid nodded, moving right up to the house. He was so tall he almost reached the second story. "I thought the duvet was better than having 'em layin' there on the lawn …"

Sirius nodded, barely aware that he was doing so. Slowly, mind blank, he swung himself around and climbed carefully across to the thatched awning just over the front door, and jumped down from there, barely wincing as his injured ankle made compact with the ground. Hagrid's anxious voice called out behind him. "Sirius, mate, I dunno if yeh'll be wantin' to see …"

Sirius ignored him. Falling to his knees, mind still blank, he grasped a fistful of the blanket with a trembling hand. He swallowed.

"Sirius …"

Ignoring Hagrid still, Sirius gently lifted part of the duvet. Lily's fluffy slippered feet. He lifted it a bit farther … James's feet. Wincing, he took a deep breath and swallowed a lump in his throat, and ignoring the blood pounding in his head, he ripped back the blanket in one swift motion.

James's hollow, glassy eyes, so devoid of life stared back at him, and Sirius found that he could not turn away. He took in James's pale, limp face, his shock of messy black hair, and a hatred of Voldemort rose fiercer and more powerful inside him as he had never felt before. His hands were so clenched that his nails dug into his palms, and he felt a trickle of blood …

Lily's eyes, so perfectly green, were staring at a point just over Sirius's shoulder. Her expression, frozen on her face, was fearful, and a pain so excruciating filled Sirius as he imagined what her last memory must have been. He reached out and closed their eyes, and gently placed James's hand over Lily's. Twenty one …

A shadow fell over Sirius, darkening James's lifeless face. A massive hand appeared in front of Sirius and gently tugged the blanket from his grasp, laying it softly back down, covering the sleeping couple once more.

Unable to speak, not knowing what to say anyway, Sirius turned to see Hagrid's saddened face looking down at him, offering him a hand to help him up to his feet, which he declined.

How had this happened? Peter was the Secret Keeper, no one could find Lily and James unless he told them. So how had they been found?

It was both sad and sweet, and it was a mark of how strong the Marauders' friendship seemed to be, that it did not occur to Sirius straight away that Peter must have given the secret away, that he had actually done something so truly awful. So Sirius continued to ponder how Voldemort had found out.

And slowly, it sunk in. There was no other way, Peter must have done it. He had done the unthinkable. Was he tortured into it? But even so, Sirius knew that tortured or not, he would never betray his best friends. But Peter had. And his safe house had seemed perfectly normal, no signs of struggle, giving every indication that Peter had simply got up and left, taking the secret with him, to Voldemort …

A rage as to that which surpassed anything he had ever felt towards Voldemort built up inside Sirius_. Peter betrayed them_. Anger burned in his stomach, but, before he could fly into a proper furious rant, a soft cooing noise from behind distracted him.

Confused, he turned to see Hagrid sitting awkwardly on the ground speaking what appeared to be some form of baby talk to the bundle of blankets he had been holding earlier. A flash of horror appeared in Sirius's mind. _Harry_. Harry! How could he forget Harry!

Sirius ran over towards Hagrid and peered over his massive shoulder. He looked at the small figure of his godson, Harry, who was gurgling happily at Hagrid's nonsensical talk. His mop of messy black hair, so alike to James's, was sticking out from under a woolly blue blanket, and his mother's green eyes were shining. A wave of relief rushed across Sirius like a typhoon; Harry was alive! "He's OK," he murmured, eyes scrutinising every aspect of the child, for any sign of even the smallest bruise … and that's when he noticed the peculiar shaped mark just visible underneath the shock of hair. He reached over and gently brushed Harry's fringe out of the way to reveal a cut in the form of a lightning bolt.

"What's that?" he asked Hagrid.

Hagrid shrugged his massive shoulders. "I don't know," he answered. "I guess its jus' a cut from a fallin' brick or somethin'"

A falling brick or something? But why had Harry not been killed? The whole reason James and Lily had gone into hiding was to keep Harry safe from Voldemort, and now they were dead, but Harry wasn't. Harry, the key person behind the prophecy. And Voldemort had not killed him? Sirius shook his head, unable to make head nor tail of the situation.

Wait … didn't kill, or was unable to kill? Was that the reason behind the peculiar mark? Was that the reason half the cottage had been blown apart? But that didn't make sense. Why was Harry, a small, powerless baby, unable to survive the Avada Kedavra Curse when so many Order members had not? Sirius made a noise of frustration. His brain was already fuelled with barely suppressed anger, he was not ready to think this out. He would ask Dumbledore later.

Dumbledore.

Sirius froze. Oh God, he thought. _Dumbledore._ James and Lily were dead, because their Secret Keeper had relinquished the information as to where they were hiding. "And Dumbledore still thinks I'm the Secret Keeper," groaned Sirius, burying his face in his hands. There had been no time, no chance to tell him of the switch! Sirius's face crumpled in misery. Perhaps he could convince Dumbledore of the truth? No … Dumbledore would not believe him, it was too far-fetched. A few silent tears slide from the corners of Sirius's eyes. He was going down for the murder of two of his best friends …

Hagrid was still cooing down at Harry. Sirius glanced at him, chuckling away happily, not knowing that his life had been so cruelly disrupted.  
Sirius's heart almost broke in two. Too have his parents stolen from him so young …

Well, he was his godfather, he would take care of him, he would try and be as good as a father to him as James would surely have been. He forgot that he was doomed, he forgot that all the evidence pointed to him as the betrayer. All he cared about now was making sure that no more misery occurred in Harry's life …

Wiping his face, he said quietly, "Give him to me, Hagrid."

Hagrid looked up. "Yeh want ter hold him?" he said. "Sure."

Sirius shook his head. "No, I mean for good. I'm his godfather, I'm his guardian. Give Harry to me, I'll look after him."

Hagrid looked rather uncomfortable. "Ah … I'm sorry Sirius, but Dumbledore told me I'm ter take Harry ter him. Harry's going ter Dumbledore."

Sirius's last tiny hope broke. So Dumbledore had already decided on his verdict. He believed Sirius to be guilty.

_Guilty_.

The word cut through Sirius like a knife. Dumbledore had anticipated that Sirius might ask for his godchild, and had given Hagrid strict orders not to place him with Sirius. Dumbledore did not trust him. But then where will Harry go? Sirius voiced this last bit out loud, and Hagrid answered.

"Ter his aunt and uncle. The Dursley's."

"What?" exclaimed Sirius in horror. "Lily's sister, the Muggles? No way! They're horrible! They're completely anti-wizard! Harry can't go there, they'll hate him, they'll make his life miserable!"

Hagrid shrugged helplessly. "I've got me orders," was all he said.

"No. He's not going," said Sirius. "He's my godson, my responsibility. I will look after him."

Hagrid looked very uncomfortable now. He shook his shaggy head. "No," he insisted anxiously. "No, Dumbledore told me I've got ter bring little Harry ter him. Yeh can't have 'im Sirius, I'm sorry."

"I'm his guardian!" Sirius argued fiercely. "He … he's James's son, for Merlin's sake! D'you not think James would have wanted Harry to be looked after by me?"

"No, I'm sure he would've Sirius," Hagrid said gently. "But I can't go against Dumbledore. I promised him, and I can't break that." He cast an anxious glance at Harry, who was now sleeping peacefully.

"And when I became Harry's godfather, I promised James!" Sirius retorted angrily, scowling heavily at Hagrid. "I can't beak my promise either!" He reached over for Harry, but Hagrid quickly snatched him away. "No, Sirius," he repeated. "Yeh can't have him."

Sirius opened his mouth to retaliate, but before he said anything, he remembered the fate awaiting him. His face fell as he realised that unless he could come up with a miracle excuse as to why Lily and James were dead if he was believed to be the Secret Keeper, he was most likely going to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban.

Sirius shivered. He closed his mouth. He could not raise Harry. He doubted if he would ever even see Harry again.

"Okay," he said resignedly in a hollow voice. "You can take him."

Hagrid was still looking uneasy.

"Honestly," said Sirius. "I won't argue anymore. Can you promise me one thing though? He probably won't listen, but ask Dumbledore to please, please not send Harry to the Dursley's? Harry'll suffer there. And I don't want Harry to suffer anymore than he already has."

Hagrid nodded.

"How're you getting to Dumbledore?" Sirius asked Hagrid, still in that hollow voice.

"Well, when Dumbledore sent me, he told me what ter do in a great hurry, so we didn' organise that really. I think he said them muggle trains."

Sirius looked up in disbelief. That was dangerous; God only knows where Voldemort was, or his Death Eaters.

"You will not," he told Hagrid, who raised his bushy eyebrows at him questioningly.

"Take my bike," Sirius said to him.

Hagrid's eyes widened and he glanced at the bike. "But … but how will you get home? An' I don' know when I'll get it back ter yeh Sirius, an' you love that bike."

Sirius shook his head glumly. "No," he said softly. "Take it. I won't need it anymore."

Hagrid gave him a questioning look, but Sirius shook his head and motioned towards the motorcycle. He did not really feel like explaining. Hagrid shrugged and made towards the large motorbike, carefully adjusting the tiny blanketed Harry, who was lost in his massive arm.

"I'm sorry Sirius, honest," Hagrid sounded sincere. "I know yeh wan' ter keep Harry but … Dumbledore ..." Hagrid trailed off.

Sirius nodded. "Its okay." he lied throatily. "I know … Dumbledore …"

_Is probably owling the Ministry telling them how I murdered James and Lily as we speak …_

Hagrid was fiddling with the blankets wrapped around Harry, making sure the cold wouldn't sting him.

A mixture of emotions was slowly piling up in Sirius. God only knows when, indeed _if_, he would ever see Harry again.

Hagrid was shoving a small, dusty bottle into one of his numerous, junk-filled pockets. "Got it outta the wreckage fer Harry," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the ruins. Sirius nodded slightly, not really taking in anything Hagrid was saying. "I gotta get some food though," he continued. "Jus' in case he gets hungry. Would yeh hold him fer a mo'?" Hagrid held Harry out. Sirius blinked and gently lifted him from Hagrid's arms as he shuffled off towards the brick piles in search of something for Harry to eat.

Sirius gazed at the small sleeping Harry cradled in his arms. His tuft of messy black hair was just brushing over his new scar.

"Sorry, Harry." Sirius whispered. "I really don't want to leave you with the Dursleys, but I have no choice." He swallowed. "I'm also sorry that I persuaded your parents to make Peter their Secret Keeper." Sirius closed his eyes. " It should have been me," he murmured, more to himself than Harry. "I wouldn't have betrayed them."

Hagrid's voice cut through his thoughts. "Got the food," he said, three or four jars enclosed in his massive hand. He shoved them into another pocket in the depths of his coat and mounted the enormous bike, with some difficulty. "Right," he said. "The Ministry will be along soon, and they'll … take care of Lily and James."

Sirius nodded.

"Best be off then," Hagrid said. He then held out a hand for Harry.

Sirius bit his lip, glancing down at the small child in his arms.

Hagrid's eyes clouded, and an anxious look spread across his face. "Sirius … ?"

_You're going down for murder_... Sirius reminded himself. He swallowed a lump of emotion that was in his throat and reluctantly handed over Harry.

Hagrid, looking immensely relieved, took Harry and gently placed him in the crook of his right arm.

Sirius stood back as Hagrid geared up the bike. "I'll see you later then, Sirius mate," Hagrid called out over the engine's roar.

_Not unless it's in court …_

"Yeah, see you later …"

Slowly, the bike began to ascend, the wheels lifting off the ground. Hagrid raised a hand in farewell and the bike floated up, up into the sky, higher and higher …

Lifting his moonlight illuminated face, Sirius watched the little silhouette of the bike and Hagrid and Harry zoom away across the star twinkled sky, the engine's roar becoming fainter and fainter …

And then they were gone.

"Goodbye, Harry."

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_The next chapter might not be up for a few days, I have a couple of exams this week, but I'm sure I'll get bored studying at some point so keep an eye out ... ;)_

madameprongs: _No, I won't be making James and Lily return, sorry. As for the reuniting thing, I don't usually do 'after death' fics, but I was actually considering it for this one, so we'll see! Thanks for the review :)_

Blue-Eyed Chica: _thanks for reviewing :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Finally, another chapter! Sorry I took so long, exams slowed me down a bit! This one is a bit short I think, but hopefully the next one should be up in a few days, so hang in there ;)_

_Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: **_As always, characters are not mine, blah blah.._

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Now that Hagrid and Harry were gone, once more a powerful infuriating rage was building inside Sirius, and the realisation of his situation hit him hard. _He had to find Peter_.

He was still staring up at the sky. Dropping his head, he wheeled around to the wreckage of the house.

_"_Probably the last time I'll ever be here", Sirius said softly. Glancing to his left, he locked eyes once again on the dusty blanket over by the willow tree. "Goodbye James," he murmured. "Goodbye Lily."

With tremendous willpower, he turned away, shoving his hands in his pockets and proceeding angrily down the debris strewn garden path until he closed his eyes and turned on the spot, vanishing into the chilly air with a crack.

He was back on the raised mound on which Peter's dusty old two roomed shed stood, the sharp thorns seeming particularly venomous. Blood pounding in his head, he stomped his way towards the door, the broken glass crunching under his heavy footsteps. His mouth seemed drier than usual. _If Peter has any sense in that bloody stupid head of his, he won't be here_, Sirius thought to himself, hatred coursing through his veins.

Taking a deep breath, he flung the door open, and bellowed at the top of his voice into the cloud of dust that rose in front of him, "PETER!"

He had flung the door so powerfully that it bounced off the wall and slammed shut again behind him. The only sound to be heard now was a rat scuttling under a table, squeaking at the sudden disturbance.

With a howl of fury, Sirius dived for the rat, landing a few inches away from it. His hand scrambled around until it seized the bald tail, and he held the rat up, eyes flashing with anticipated fury.

Disappointment flooded through him; it was not Peter. Sirius threw the rat across the room where it landed with a thud on the floor, scuttled away quickly and disappeared into a hole in the wall. Standing up, shaking slightly, he tried to think. The anger pushing at the back his mind was making this difficult, but he attempted to dredge up a few ideas as to where Peter might be.

"Probably with Voldemort," he spat aloud. "But I don't know where that is." He gave a strangled scream of frustration, running a hand through his messy hair. "DAMIT! Where the hell is he?"

He sunk slowly to the floor, and dropped his head in his hands. For a few moments, there was nothing but a tense silence, as Sirius drifted deep into thought.

And then, softly, gently, a new sound crept to his ears. Sirius lifted his head and gazed blearily at the aged window. A blur was moving outside it. And now, a soft whistling drifted in through the cracks in the door. Sirius's heart clenched; he felt as though he had been doused with a bucket of ice cold water.

Slowly, the door creaked open. Sirius's eyes widened as a grey robed man with a scruffy bag slung over one shoulder stepped over the threshold.

He was about five and a half foot or so, comfortably plump, with prematurely thinning, pale brown hair and greyish, watery eyes. His twitchy nose was rather snout like.

The man dropped his bag on the ground next to the door. At first, he did not notice Sirius sitting frozen in the corner, and made towards a cracked table opposite the door, on which a lump of cheese on a thick slice of bread was sitting. Going to the far side of the table, he grabbed the food and tore into it hungrily, as though he had not eaten in days. He then turned, and spotted the silently shaking, blazing eyed Sirius getting slowly to his feet.

The man froze, his eyes widening in horror, face paling visibly. He glanced quickly at the door, then the windows, then turned his terrified gaze back to Sirius, who had his fists clenched, knuckles white, and was shaking with rage.

"Hello Peter," Sirius breathed in a dangerous whisper.

Wormtail was clearly petrified. In a flash, before Sirius had even realised, Wormtail had dropped the bread and cheese, vaulted over the table and, seizing his bag, raced out the door.

A roar of fury escaped Sirius and he flew outside after Wormtail, fingers itching to throttle him.

Flying through the door, Sirius saw Wormtail making his way across the overgrown field. He scrambled after him, the shattered slate and glass cracking under his thunderous footsteps and rolling noisily down the path as he fished out his wand from his robes and yelled, "Impedimenta!"

Wormtail whipped around and, just in time, screamed out "Protegeo!" causing Sirius to duck as his spell rebounded.

Wormtail reached the broken fence enclosing the field and hastily clambered over it, making for the thick, gloomy forest on the other side. He froze, however, as a ripping sound told him that his cloak had caught on a nail.

He looked up, terrified, as Sirius thundered down on him. For one heart stopping second, Sirius thought he would catch Wormtail, but when Wormtail was barely an inch from his grasp, the cloak came free, and Wormtail leapt to his feet and dashed towards the dark, tangled forest. Sirius roared with fury and pointed his wand again. "IMPEDIMENTA!" he bellowed, his throat feeling like it was tearing.

Wormtail ducked, and Sirius caught a faint smell of singing hair. He leapt over the fence, slamming into the ground and staggering as he regained his footing.

Wormtail was at the very edge of the forest now, but just as he was about to disappear into the gloom, he tripped on a tree root and crashed into the ground.

Driven on by an almost blood lust rage, Sirius ran faster, feet flying across the ground. Wormtail was frantically scrambling around, his eyes bearing the look of a hunted and cornered animal. They locked with Sirius's, and as he clambered to his feet, as if in slow motion, Sirius roared and dived. His hands closed around one of Wormtail's ankles. Wormtail screamed and kicked out viciously, but Sirius was, at this point, blinded by a furious rage and ignored it and held on, until Wormtail stamped hard on Sirius's hand.

Hearing (and feeling) something snap, Sirius fell back with a shout of pain, looking up just in time to hear the crack and see Wormtail disappear.

With a strangled cry, Sirius leapt to his feet, eyes wild. "Wormtail!" he yelled, panting heavily. His head swivelled from side to side, certain that it was a trap of some sort. "WORMTAIL!"

He ran forwards and peered into the edge of the eerie forest, wand was clutched tightly in his hand. He had an endless list of spells at the front of his mind, ready to use in a flash should he need to.

But it didn't seem like he would. Wormtail was gone.

"WORMTAIL, I WILL FIND YOU!"

No sound.

Where had he gone?

Sirius turned, vaulted the fence, and raced back to the crumbly house that once held Wormtail, at a loss as to what to do.

"Okay," he murmured. "Think. Use your brain. Where has he gone?"

Sirius dropped to the ground, fidgeting agitatedly. "He can't have gone back to where ever it is that Voldemort is," he said out loud. "Because something happened to Voldemort tonight, although I don't know what."

He paused and scratched his chin. It was not easy for him to sit still right now, but racing up in a fury would not get him any closer to finding Wormtail.

"The nearest town? The nearest town … I suppose he could have gone there."

Sirius stood up and walked a little bit away from the cottage, taking a few deep breaths, and tried to speak calmly and rationally. "My guess is he's going to run away. So he could've gone there to get food or something."

Trying to suppress the yearning to beat Peter within an inch of his life, Sirius exhaled slowly; splinching himself would be troublesome at the moment, so he needed to concentrate. Turning on the spot, he once more plunged into darkness.

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_Poor Sirius.. reviewers get to comfort him ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys ... I'm sooo sorry this update took so long! I promise I'll be better with the next one! The next one being the last one, I think. So, Sirius and Peter have a little catch up in this one ... enjoy!_

**Disclaimer:** _you know the drill_

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_Trying to suppress the yearning to beat Peter within an inch of his life, Sirius exhaled slowly; splinching himself would be troublesome at the moment, so he needed to concentrate. Turning on the spot, he once more plunged into darkness ..._

And then … a slamming of car brakes and a loud honk of a horn.

Sirius opened his eyes to see a green, shiny car, half on the pavement, half on the road, and a very angry looking red faced man with a receding hairline.

"What do you think your doing?" the man yelled. "You just ran out in front of me, you almost got yourself killed!"

"Sorry," Sirius shouted out behind him as he dashed off towards the light of a late night shop, ignoring the choice of words the man used as he ran. There was a shop at the end of the road with a neon coloured light in the window. Since it was the only light he could see, Sirius ran as fast as he could towards it.

Bursting through the door, he made straight for the counter, almost knocking a newspaper stand flying.

"Was … was there a short, fat, bald man in here a moment ago?" Sirius panted.

The man had a slightly shocked appearance on his face, and took a moment or two to answer.

"Yeah … yeah, about five minutes ago, he took a whole load of food."

"Took? Don't you mean bought?" Sirius asked.

The man looked puzzled for a moment. "No, I … I don't think he paid … but I can't remember why … "

_Memory Charms._

"Which way did he go?"

The man was still looking confused. "Er … left, I think, why?"

Sirius didn't answer. "Thanks!" he yelled as he turned and ran out, setting off at a quick walk down the empty road to the left. The walk turned into a run. He reached the end of the road and discovered that there was a choice; left or right.

"Damn!" he yelled angrily. "DAMN!"

He knew that Wormtail was in this village, he knew he was here somewhere. Wormtail had not expected Voldemort to be harmed, so he had no preperations, food, nothing he would need in hiding, as he had not expected to be hiding. So he had come here for them, a mere five minutes ago. So where was he now? Which way to go?

Sirius glanced left. There were more turns at the end of the road. Wormtail could've gone down any one of those. He growled and looked right. Dead end.

Quick as a Snitch, he turned and ran down the left road, skidding to a halt at the end. There were two turns on his right, and a third one on his left. Sirius picked up a stone and flung it at the wall, letting out a strangled yell as he did so. A sharp crack sounded as stone and brick made contact, and it echoed round the sleeping houses. This was useless! God only knows how many little roads and cart paths were in this criss crossing village! And Wormtail could even be gone by now!

A movement to his right caught the corner of his eye, and his head swivelled around. A face had peered round the corner, and had quickly withdrawn upon seeing Sirius standing there. Sirius's breath stopped for a moment, and then he ran full force towards the spot where the face had been.

He reached the corner and, just as he turned it, he saw the hem of a cloak whip round another corner. "More bloody roads and turns!" he yelled as he ran, panting heavily. "I hate this village!"

He skidded round the turn, but this road was longer, and Wormtail had not had time to disappear to the next road.

Sirius pulled out his wand, and, heart pounding, yelled, "Stupify!"

Wormtail dropped to the ground.

Slowly, Sirius advanced. Wormtail's body was completely still, the spell preventing him from moving.

Sirius was breathing heavily. "Why didn't you simply Apparate away, Peter?" he said softly, his wand shaking in his hand.

Wormtail made no answer.

"Never the brightest sweet in the jar, were you? S'pose you thought you'd make it if you just ran. Did you think you could run far enough away that you'd leave behind the guilt too?" Sirius shook his head, and his voice quietened to a deadly hiss. "You can't. That will haunt you for ever. Did you think you could run away from me? Because you can't do that either. I'll haunt you for ever too, _Peter_."

A movement to his right caught his attention, but he disregarded it. "What are the words again?" he murmured softly, staring at Wormtail. "Avada Kedavra, wasn't it?"

Wormtail's eyes widened in horror, and he made tiny little struggling movements. The spell was slowly wearing off. Sirius was staring straight into Wormtail's eyes, deliberately trying to scare him. He didn't notice another movement on his right.

"Should I say them with a wand?" he spat bitterly. "Should I kill you?"

"Hey you!" yeled a voice suddeny from the shadows; Sirius started. "Are you threatening that man there? Look, he's so frightened he can barely move!"

Sirius ignored the man. With his heart pounding and breathing very heavily, he advanced on Wormtail, wand pointed straight at his heart.

Wormtail's lip was bleeding; he had bitten it when he fell. He was holding his ankle in a way that told Sirius it had been twisted. His eyes were wide and glistening, and his chest was rising and falling rapidly.

Sirius heard a noise to his left. Keeping his wand firmly covering Wormtail, he looked over out of the corner of his eye.

There were people watching him! Muggles, looking both horrified and terrified. A few were whispering, and others were shooting Peter looks of sympathy.

"Get out of it!" Sirius roared. They all jumped, and a few retreated hurriedly behind walls. "This man on the ground is dangerous …" He looked at Peter with pure venom. "Wouldn't want any of you to get hurt," he whispered, wand arm shaking.

Peter's eyes almost popped out. He began to edge himself backwards, and then jumped up screaming, as if trying to run.

"Stupify!" yelled Sirius. A jet of red light shot out of his wand, and Peter collapsed again. The surrounding Muggles screamed, running into doorways, behind walls, dustbins, _anything_, obviously terrified.

Sirius ignored them and turned his attention back to Wormtail, who was once more immobile on the ground.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort!" he whispered furiously, so that Wormtail only could hear him. "How could you? How could you do that? After all they've done for you! After all we've done for you! TRAITOR"

Wormtail remained very still for a moment; by contrast, Sirius was shaking violently with rage.

"Please ... please, Sirius ..." Peter whispered. "Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for -"

"I'm afraid that ship has sailed, Peter." Sirius said softly, shaking his head. "You've really left me with no choice but to kill you."

He raised his wand.

And then, two things happened, very fast. Firstly, Wormtail screamed in fear and leapt up, despite his injured ankle, and secondly, an empty glass bottle came flying out of no where and knocked Sirius's wand right out of his hand.

"NO!" yelled Sirius, and made a dive for the fallen wand. He retrieved it, but not before Wormtail had had time to get his.

They both turned to each other at exactly the same time, wands out.

"Where did that bloody bottle come from?" yelled Sirius, infuriated.

"One of our hiding audience threw it." Wormtail answered him, eyes glinting, and gesturing to a dozen or so dark shadows in door frames and behind rubbish bins and post boxes. Apparently, the muggles hadn't gone far. "To help me, you see," continued Wormtail, and Sirius was enraged to see that his entire demeanour had changed; his voice had become smooth and strong now that he had a wand in his hand. Clearly he felt no remorse for his actions. "Because they seem to think you are threatening my life. Are you?"

"Of course I am!" yelled Sirius. "I intend to kill every fibre of your being!"

There was a collective murmur of fear from the muggles that went unnoticed to Sirius.

"And when I blast you into a million tiny pieces, I'm going to blast every one of those pieces, to make sure you are in no way on this earth! If I burn them, you'll be in the air! If I bury them, you'll poison the ground! I'm going to make sure you are gone, Peter, gone for good!"

"Leave him alone!" yelled a voice from the shadows.

Sirius's face twitched, but he made no movement, as he did not want to take his eyes away from Peter for a second.

Wormtail's face became pained. "It's very nice of you to try and help me, who ever you are," he called to the shadows, also not altering his gaze. "But you mustn't get involved, this man's very dangerous."

Sirius made a cry of indignation, but it was drowned out by a sudden sob from Wormtail, who's face had changed from pained to heart broken quicker than a chameleon's change of colours.

"How could you Sirius!" he choked out in between sobs. "Kill your best friends?"

There was a gasp from the shadows.

"WHAT!" yelled Sirius, face contorted with rage. "HOW DARE YOU?" His wand emitted a shower of angry red sparks, and there was a retreating noise from the darkness.

Wormtail nodded. "Your best friends, Sirius," he said softly, a glint in his eye.

Sirius gave a low growl.

"Lily and James Sirius! How could you!"

And Sirius snapped. Hatred for Peter Pettigrew was pumping through his veins like nothing he had ever felt before, broken images of James's and Lily's crumbled house were flashing before his eyes, the memory of the smell of burning wood, the sound of Harry crying, of _himself_ crying, the sight of their bodies lying motionless, lifeless ... Sirius let out an unearthly howl of rage and ran forwards, raising his wand.

Wormtail was quicker. His wand snapped up and he muttered, as if in slow motion, "Nitri Explidemsia."

Sirius's wand didn't even make it half way into the air.

He was lifted right off his feet, and his wand flew out of his hand and sailed away. In a rush of colour and sound, Sirius landed some twenty feet away, next to a car in a crumpled heap.

Bangs, explosions and terrified screaming filled Sirius's tired ears. Gingerly, he lifted his head, tasting blood. Peering around blearily, he spotted a bald tail whipping through the bars of a drain in the ground.

All hope lost, heart breaking all over again, tears began to flow freely down Sirius's blood streaked face, and he made no effort to stop them.

"I'm sorry Prongs ..." he croaked out in no more than a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

Then Sirius dropped his head and thought no more.

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_The last chapter will be up soon, I promise! Reviews will help speed this up ... ;) Thanks for reading!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Alright, this is probably the last chapter! I'm off on holiday for two weeks on tuesday, so as it takes me practically the whole day before to pack (I spend most of my time looking for things like suncream, I'm slightly scatterbrained) I posted this tonight or i knew I never would. If I'm feling inspired I may include a chapter on Remus finding out the next morning, or ... I don't know, something else, but possibly not, and if I do it definitely won't be for a while!_

_So here you go, enjoy!_

**Disclaimer:**_ same ol' same ol'_

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Sirius awoke some time later, and it was just dawn. Wincing slightly, he got to his feet … and almost fell back down again.

Death. So much death. Bodies were strewn across the road, in which there was a crater the size of a football pitch. Several sobbing figures were collapsed on the ground, mopping up whatever injuries they had sustained. Blood caked the cracked tarmac, from which there was a gentle mist rising, casting an eerie gloom on the dawn.

Coughing slightly, Sirius pushed himself up off the ground and allowed his eyes to soak up the scene before him. Alighting on a heap of dusty robes that he recognised to be Peter's, Sirius stumbled blindly towards them, broken anger filling his insides. Something pink lay atop, standing out from the grey rags. Leaning in to pick it up, Sirius recoiled in disgust; it was a _finger_, a human finger. He realised that Wormtail must have cut it off his own hand, to make the whole ordeal look more realistic. This was all that was left of the Heroic Peter Pettigrew, the one who avenged his best friends and attempted to capture the Traitorous Sirius Black.

Sirius stood up and turned his back on the dirty robes. Should he make a run for it? No, there would be unlimited Ministry men after him, and they might even send the Dementors after him. Sirius shuddered at the thought. In any case, he hardly felt he had the energy to run. His legs went out from under him, and he fell to his knees, and waited.

There was a loud pop behind him. And then another one, and then the air was full of pops. Sirius didn't even bother to look around, he knew what it was. The Ministry Officials had arrived.

"Oh my God!"

"Better owl Mungos, quick."

"But they're Muggles!"

"So?"

"What happened here?"

"Don't bother owling, looks like they're all dead."

"No … wait, this one here's still moving!"

"Hey! It's him! Get him!"

"It is him! Get him before he runs!"

"Who is it?"

"The one Dumbledore came and told Crouch about earlier!"

"Get him! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

Sirius's whole body locked up, and he fell backwards. He didn't even feel it. He wasn't taking in a word. His eyes were far away, and he made no attempt to struggle or escape as a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him roughly to his feet.

"What'll we do with him?"

"Best just leave 'im like this 'till the Minister gets 'ere, yeah?"

Sirius allowed his hands to be magically bound behind his back. "Peter's free," he whispered hoarsely, eyes roving across the scene of destruction before him. The Ministry wizards around him froze, glancing at one another nervously.

"Eh?" one of them ventured apprehensively.

Sirius appeared not to have notice. "Peter … got away," he whispered again, the words sounding simply ludicrous to his ears. Emotionally drained and overcome with the sheer exhaustion of the night, Sirius tried to get his head around the situation he was in, and for the life of him, found that he could not. So he did the only thing left he knew best, the one thing that he always did to make light of the seriousness of a situation.

He laughed.

And that is how the night that Lily and James died came to an end. Bartemius Crouch made an appearance some time later, and after getting over the shock of seeing his nervous looking Ministry workers grouped around a laughing Sirius Black, whom they had been warned was dangerous, Barty ordered Sirius to be taken to Azkaban, without trial. Sirius was led away and flung into a filthy cell, with everyone believing he had betrayed and murdered James, Lily and Peter, only himself knowing the real truth.

Shocked and horrified at what Sirius had done, Albus Dumbledore gave evidence that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret Keeper, and that he had warned Crouch about him mere hours after the terrible deed at Godric's Hollow.

And when Remus Lupin learned what had happened the morning Sirius was captured, his heart shattered, and he disappeared to his house for days, now calling himself the lone Marauder and mourning the loss of almost everyone he loved.

And finally, in a dingy cupboard under the stairs of number four, Privet Drive, little Harry Potter slept on, knowing nothing of that night's traumas, knowing nothing of what he was one day to become.

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So there you have it ... thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, hope you enjoyed it, and I'm going to indulge in a little self advertising now and slyly suggest that you read some of my other fics ... just a suggestion though ... ;)

cherrycool


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